Weekly Medley: Time to ban spanking

Teacher Tom says it’s time to ban spanking. And he’s right.

Here are a bunch of books to read before you see them at the movies.

Check out this scary grandmother doll. I love it!

Here are seven historical figures known for doing or saying something they actually never did.

Need a cream for eczema? Here’s a homemade recipe.

Penelope Trunk says there is no such thing as lazy people and I love her for it and for this post.

Thomas Gordon discusses how children really act in response to control. One of the big takeaways from this piece is the knowledge that what adults label as “misbehavior” is often simply a coping mechanism for a child.

Researchers say they’ve debunked the whole “right brain, left brain” theory. What do you think about this?

In this video from the American Psychological Association, girls give frank commentary about the sexualization of females. (My Word program doesn’t even recognize that as a word.) I’m reading Princess Recovery: A How-To Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Can Create Their Own Happily Ever Afters and this ties in with this video, and after Miley Cyrus’s performance at the VMAs I think it’s a conversation—a daily conversation—we need to have with both our daughters and our sons. Miley’s performance made me cry. It’s one thing if she is expressing her sexuality, as some people say; but all I could see was a young woman catering to an industry that only values you for your body and how you use it to promote male pleasure.

And by the way, why isn't anyone talking about Robin Thicke and his rapey lyrics? A song like that shouldn't be praised, let alone played on a national TV show.

Have you ever seen this awesome poster about how to build a community? I just adore it.

More parents are calling for social-emotional learning in schools, which is kind of weird. I agree that it’s an important focus, but I also think it’s important to do at home. I also found it disturbing that 33% of parents think that teachers and staff should be armed.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia